This is a fast-paced, action-heavy thriller with tense cat-and-mouse moments. Some elements drag a little, but overall it was solid with plenty of tension and action, even if a few things didn’t completely land for me.

 

Energy: Impulsive. Emotional. Determined. 

 

🐺 Growls. I know the epilogue was aiming for emotional impact, but I could not get over the ending scene where a completely untrained civilian to allowed to perform a dangerous maneuver because…heroism?

 

🐕 Howls. I couldn’t stop questioning the main character’s decisions and ridiculous scheming – most of them are eventually addressed, but until then my over-analyzing brain was so annoyed it undermined the tension. The spatial awareness around where characters and vehicles are relative to each other, and escape/attack routes were so murky at times (I always struggle with this reading action/fight scenes). The weakest part for me was the “book within a book” section that explores the truth behind the mystery (it wasn’t poorly done, it just felt more like a dream sequence and I hate those). 

 

🐩 Tail Wags. From the first chapter, it dives straight into action and tension. It’s genuinely scary at times. 

 

Scene: 🇺🇸 Set in Howard County, Montana, USA

Perspective: Our main character is grieving the death of their estranged twin. They have asked to meet with officer who last spoke with their sibling at the bridge she allegedly jumped off. We also get snippets of a blog where the main character is writing their thoughts and plans, the perspective of the officer, and excerpts from a book the main character is writing about what really happened. 

Timeline: September 2019. Linear

🔥 Fuel: Did our main character’s twin sister really commit suicide? What happened in the interaction between her and the cop before her death? What will happen when our main character confronts the officer with her questions and evidence?

📖 Cred: Suspended disbelief

 

Diner food. 2007 Toyota Corolla. Gasoline. Fire smoke. Charcoal-tasting air. Strawberry antacid. Gunpowder. 

 

Ageism (character opinion; against Gen Z). Animal death (brief but descriptive; deer, snake). Body shaming (very brief character opinion; weight). Child death, kidnapping (descriptive recall). Financial insecurity (living in car). Forest fires. Gore, blood loss, wounds (on page, descriptive). Grief. Gun violence. Loss of sibling. Murder. Schizoid personality disorder. Suicide (discussion, description, planning, religious beliefs). Violence against women, femicide, misogyny (recall).

 

Rep: American. Vietnamese ancestry. Cis. Pale, and tanned skin tones.

 

📚 Format: Paperback